---
id: sseclient
version: "0.0.27"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: aging
---

# sseclient — Python client library for reading Server Sent Event streams.

License: permissive · Maintenance: aging · Downloads: 222.3K/mo

## What it is and what it does

sseclient is a minimal Python client library for consuming Server Sent Event streams over HTTP. It wraps an SSE endpoint URL and provides an iterator interface: each iteration yields a message object with a 'data' attribute and optional 'event', 'id', and 'retry' fields. The library handles automatic reconnection and retry logic, allowing the server to control retry delays via SSE protocol directives.

The package has no runtime dependencies and accepts any keyword arguments supported by the Requests library (headers, auth, etc.) during initialization. It is marked Production/Stable but aging: the latest release was 2020-09-25, and active maintenance has slowed. It is suitable for applications that need straightforward SSE consumption without frequent updates or cutting-edge feature additions.

Use it for:

- Consume real-time event streams from a server (e.g., live notifications, log tails, stock price updates) in a simple for-loop.
- Build a monitoring client that listens to SSE endpoints and processes incoming events with custom logic.
- Integrate SSE-based APIs (e.g., weather alerts, chat notifications) into a Python application without external async frameworks.
- Prototype or maintain legacy applications that rely on SSE for push-like communication without switching to WebSockets.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Iterates over Server Sent Event (SSE) streams from HTTP endpoints, parsing each message into objects with data and optional event, id, and retry attributes.

Yes, if you need straightforward SSE consumption and can accept an aging codebase. The package is stable, has no dependencies, and carries permissive licensing. However, do not install if you require active maintenance, explicit modern Python version guarantees, or ongoing bug fixes—consider alternatives if your project demands frequent updates.

## Install

pip install sseclient
uv add sseclient
poetry add sseclient

## Installing sseclient

Before you install: High install friction: the package is aging with latest release 2020-09-25 and no runtime dependencies, but active maintenance has slowed significantly. Suitable for stable, non-critical integrations where SSE support is needed without ongoing updates.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial or private projects with minimal restrictions—only attribution is typically required.

Quickstart:

pip install sseclient

from sseclient import SSEClient

messages = SSEClient('http://mysite.com/sse_stream/')
for msg in messages:
    print(msg.data)

Package classifiers indicate Python 2.7 and Python 3 support; compatibility with specific modern Python versions is not explicitly stated.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions beyond the generic 'Python 3' classifier.
- Whether automatic reconnection and retry logic handle edge cases in the SSE spec as documented.
- Current test coverage and whether the 11 passing tests from development still apply to version 0.0.27.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: aging
- Downloads: 222.3K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

server sent events client, sse stream parser, http event streaming, eventsource python, real-time event listener, sse message iterator, streaming, http-client, event-driven

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/sseclient) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/sseclient/)